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The Veil moved a few blocks from its original location on Roseneath Road to 1509 Belleville St., still in Scott’s Addition.
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(From left) Dave Michelow and Matt Tarpey of The Veil Brewing Co. and Andrew Manning, co-owner of Longoven
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The new taproom features 40 beers on draft, in addition to cider, wine, hard seltzer and sake.
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Nokorobi is an open-kitchen concept with about 10 seats bordering the prep area.
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Inside the taproom
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The Nokoribi team in action
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(Clockwise from top left) Pork katsu sandwich, trumpet mushroom, broccoli with chile crunch and furikake, housemade kimchi and chicken meatballs
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Manning says that while exploring culinary possibilities for Nokoribi, his mind kept returning to the flames — specifically Brasa, a Portuguese wood-fired pop-up he once operated with Steve Farr, now of The Veil, that was also a favorite of Tarpey’s.
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Part of The Veil’s former taproom, the beloved stuffed bear greets patrons at the front of the building.
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Nokoribi is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
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The merch shop inside The Veil
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Couches and other seating areas inside the taproom
The Veil Brewing Co. owners Matt Tarpey and Dave Michelow rang in their seventh year in the beer business with a birthday bash featuring a massive, 8,300-square-foot gift: a brand-new taproom with an in-house restaurant concept. Located at 1509 Belleville St. (as a sign at the old stomping grounds notes, “It’s three blocks up, one block down,” from their former headquarters), the venture made its debut over the weekend.
Upon stepping into the sleek, modern space, a grown-up version of the old digs, patrons will spot the towering stuffed grizzly bear from the old taproom. Beyond, a twin focal point with the bar area, is Nokorobi. The yakitori-inspired in-house food concept, whose name translates to “embers,” is helmed by the team behind acclaimed Scott’s Addition restaurant Longoven. On opening weekend, Andrew Manning, a chef known for his infatuation with open flame, could be spotted pushing the smoke back into the mother charcoal station using a bamboo uchiwa fan. Yakitori (served two per order) line the grill 20 deep, ranging from chicken thighs with tare sauce to pork meatballs with ginger and scallions; shrimp with yuzu kosho, the spicy, citrusy Japanese condiment; and stout trumpet mushrooms lacquered with honey, ginger and soy.
“It’s all super simple street food, and I think it will go really well here. It’s just figuring out how many meatballs a day we’re going to need,” Manning says with a chuckle.
Karaage, aka fried, dishes on the menu include a corn dog-sized maitake mushroom that’s fried then drizzled with spicy mayo, furikake and lemon; koji wings with togarashi seasoning and lime; pork and tofu katsu sandwiches with cabbage and tonkatsu sauce; and kimchi-seasoned fries. Other offerings include udon noodles with dashi butter, mushrooms and tamari egg yolk with dried, smoked bonito flakes. The charred and salty offerings are umami-heavy, and the menu is straightforward with no modifications. Seats surrounding the open kitchen offer diners a peek into the smoky arena.
Manning says that other than Tom Gillis, a former sous chef at Longoven, he’s working with an entirely new staff. He says that once they find their footing, menu selections will change frequently.
"We’ll ramp it up as we start figuring out what we can handle and what not; there’s a lot of things we want to do here, and the menu can change whenever we want,” he says. “Soft crabs are ramping up, and we’ve already got some grilled crab dishes and ideas around that while they’re in season in the next couple weeks.”
The other focal point in the space is the beer list, wall-sized screens listing over 40 brews along with a half-dozen wine selections, an oak foeder-conditioned house cider made with Virginia apples and a sake. Draft cocktails go the classic route, from an Old Fashioned with Japanese whiskey to an Espolon margarita and tropical rum punch. The sans-booze Ever Calm is reminiscent of the brewery’s tastee libations, bursting with notes of pineapple and passionfruit — think smoothie meets tangy Sunny D.
Asked whether there is a go-to tap selection that pairs seamlessly with the food, Manning responds immediately: Japanese Denim. “They’ve been saving it for the opening,” he says. “It’s a perfect beer for this stuff — 5% lager with koji rice and yuzu; it’s super light and crispy."
Half of the inaugural batch has been put into barrels, and The Veil plans to released a bottle-aged version of Japanese Denim in the future.
Orders for both food and beer are placed at the main counter. A swag shop features bottles and Veil apparel along with a large grab-and-go beer case. Seating is ample, with couches and leather chairs tucked into corners, high-top seating dotting the secondary room and large tables for groups. The interior holds 450 guests, while the outside space can seat 250.
Somewhat inconspicuous from the outside, the taproom and restaurant was designed by Fultz & Singh Architects, exuding very familiar, very Veil, touches from gray and black accents to glowing signage. With Veil taprooms also on Forest Hill Avenue and in Norfolk, this is the only location projected to be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week.
“I think the space looks great, and Nokoribi inside The Veil is great, it feels like a good fit,” Manning says.
The Veil Brewing Co. and Nokorobi are open Monday-Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. There is a limited food menu from 3 to 5 p.m. each day except Saturdays.
